At the end of June this year, it had signed up just 137,000 customers.

The abolition of the £18 line rental fee applies to two of Vodafone’s three offerings – the standard 17Mbps package will retain the charge.

Subscribers to the 38Mbps and 76Mbps will still get access to a landline even though they will no longer pay for it.

Vodafone claimed landline connections were an “unexpected, underused and expensive addition” to a broadband package.

Glafkos Persianis, Commercial Director at Vodafone UK said: “Giving our customers the opportunity to break free from hidden line rental charges is our way of letting our customers know that we are listening and that we are serious about providing them with the Unlimited Home Broadband experience that they deserve.

“We started our journey into fibre optic home broadband just over a year ago and are delighted to show that we are a truly innovative and customer focused provider.”